A Bangladeshi court has issued an arrest warrant for former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who fled to India in August following her ousting during mass protests.
Hasina is wanted by Bangladesh’s International Criminal Tribunal (ICT) on charges related to alleged “crimes against humanity” committed during the protests, which resulted in the deaths of hundreds of people.
Hasina, who led Bangladesh for over 20 years, was viewed as an autocratic leader whose government harshly suppressed dissent.
Arrest warrants have also been issued for 45 others, including former government ministers who have also left the country.
“The court has… ordered the arrest of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, and to produce her in court on November 18,” Mohammad Tajul Islam, the ICT’s chief prosecutor, told reporters on Thursday.
“Sheikh Hasina was at the helm of those who committed massacres, killings and crimes against humanity in July to August,” he added.
Bangladesh’s interim health ministry said in August that more than 1,000 people were killed in the violence this summer after student-led protests against government job quotas turned into mass demonstrations, making it the bloodiest period in the country’s history since its 1971 independence.
Sheikh Hasina, 77, has remained out of public view since fleeing Bangladesh, with her last known location being a military airbase near Delhi, India.
Initially expected to stay in India briefly, reports suggest her efforts to seek asylum elsewhere have so far been unsuccessful.
Her prolonged presence in India complicates diplomatic relations between Delhi and the new interim government in Dhaka, with many in Bangladesh angered that India has offered her refuge.
The interim government in Bangladesh has revoked her diplomatic passport, and although the two countries have an extradition treaty, a clause allows India to refuse extradition if the charges are deemed to be of a “political character.”
Hasina’s government established the International Criminal Tribunal (ICT) in 2010 to investigate atrocities from Bangladesh’s 1971 war of independence with Pakistan.
However, the ICT faced criticism from the United Nations and human rights groups for procedural flaws and was seen by many as a tool for Hasina to eliminate political rivals.
The tribunal, reconstituted by the interim government, began proceedings on Thursday, though critics argue that it lacks judges with adequate experience in international law. Several cases accusing Hasina of orchestrating the “mass murder” of protesters are currently under investigation.
Her son, Sajeeb Wazed, has defended her, stating, “My mother has done nothing wrong,” and expressing her readiness to face trial in an interview with Reuters last month.